Drive for Increased Equity and Access

Equity, in its simplest essence, is about ensuring that every individual receives what they need to succeed. 

In Manteca Unified, this translates to providing every student with the resources, support, and opportunities necessary to thrive academically, regardless of their background or circumstances. It’s about leveling the playing field and recognizing that each student may require different supports to reach their full potential, such as academic, social-emotional, or behavioral resources. 

Committed to putting student-need at the forefront of all decisions, MUSD’s Board of Trustees established a Board Policy on equity (BP0415) in June 2020 that outlines the District’s plans for how we will infuse equity systemically. In part, this policy was inspired and informed by a California School Boards Association initiative where two Manteca Unified Board members and Superintendent Dr. Clark Burke became part of an Equity Network in 2018. 

In the 2023-24 school year, MUSD has made notable strides in advancing equity and access throughout the District. This progress is the culmination of cultural proficiency trainings, propelled by an expanded Equity & Access administrative team, and innovative data practices aimed at identifying student needs and areas of disproportionality more effectively than ever before.

MUSD’s Equity & Access Journey

The journey towards greater equity and access within MUSD has been a gradual yet purposeful evolution. Over the past several years, the District has been more aware and committed than ever to dismantling barriers, refining policies and practices, and fostering a more inclusive environment where every student can feel safe to thrive. Annually, from February 2020, the Board of Education and District executive leadership participate in special Board study sessions focused on educational equity and the ongoing work toward cultural proficiency so that every student can achieve. 

This school year has seen a significant acceleration of these efforts through targeted cultural proficiency trainings for school principals and District administrators. These series of trainings, which also included Board members, were designed as “brave spaces” to allow time for open and honest conversations in an inside-out approach around equity and inclusivity. We believe cultural proficiency is a model for shifting the culture of a school and District as well as individual transformation. 

“We’re asking leaders to look at things through a new or different perspective which can be a real culture shift,” shares Dr. Francine Baird, the Director of Equity & Access. “Changing perspectives take time. But we’re a lot more alike than we are different, and this reality helps in the conversation and application of equity.”

Racial representation helps support cultural identity. Strong cultural identity has been linked to improved social well-being, classroom engagement, mental health resilience, and coping skills, among other benefits.

Additionally, Manteca Unified introduced a Diversity Awareness Calendar highlighting days of importance to many cultures and organized District-wide multi-cultural events to support cultural proficiency efforts, such as “Moor than a Month,” a celebration of Black history and “Soy Asombros,” a teaching of Latin-American history.

“Racial representation helps support cultural identity,” states Dr. Baird. “Strong cultural identity has been linked to improved social well-being, classroom engagement, mental health resilience, and coping skills, among other benefits.”

Multi-cultural events acknowledge and celebrate the different identities and cultures within our diverse District. By doing so, participants feel seen, heard, and supported by their peers, faculty, and community. It’s a moment to share common experiences and traditions while celebrating individuals.

Harnessing Data to Meet Students Where They Are

Data is one of Manteca Unified’s most powerful tools for understanding and addressing the unique needs of students. 

Kathy Cambra, MUSD’s Senior Analyst, has been at the forefront of this data-driven approach, promoting equity and access by leveraging data analysis to identify gaps in student achievement with unprecedented precision. To put it simply: the sooner a student’s unique needs are identified, the faster – and more effectively – Manteca Unified can provide targeted supports, such as social-emotional resources or video tutorials to help with academic growth.

“My goal is to ensure students have all of the resources they need at any given moment, and the data tells a story about what those needs are,” Cambra shares. “In my role, I work closely with principals on their site’s strategic plans to help them understand the metrics they are going to use to measure the efficiency of their actions.”

By harnessing the power of data through tools such as the California K-12 Equity Gaps Dashboard, MUSD has been able to tailor its interventions and supports to meet students where they are, so that no student is underserved. Whether it’s identifying struggling learners who require additional academic support or pinpointing areas for curriculum enhancement, data has been instrumental in guiding the District’s equity efforts.

My goal is to ensure students have all of the resources they need at any given moment, and the data tells a story about what those needs are.

The Coordination of Services Team (COST) is an effective early intervention method that reflects MUSD’s data-driven decision-making process. Its core objective is to provide immediate support to referred students who face challenges hindering their engagement in essential academic instruction. These barriers encompass a range of issues, from behavioral difficulties and a lack of basic necessities to social-emotional needs and chronic absenteeism.  

In this process, students are referred to COST for an existing barrier to learning, and the school site team reviews and addresses each student’s case. If the team determines that a student needs COST monitoring, they create an intervention plan and identify the tools they will use to measure the student’s progress, which is informed by data. The student’s progress is documented in the Student Information System, and if their barriers to learning are resolved, they will be monitored monthly to ensure they remain on the right track.

“Our Coordination of Services Teams across the District are investing the resources needed to support students’ success in academics, attendance, and behaviors,” states Frank Gonzales, Director of Student Services.

Strategic Alignment & Accountability

Central to MUSD’s equity and access initiatives is the establishment of the Strategic Alignment &  Accountability Department. Led by Dr. Lisa Herrin, responsible for the development of MUSD’s Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) document, the department has made continuous efforts to infuse equity systemically in MUSD’s strategic plan, resulting in plans for the next 3-year LCAP cycle that will be going forward for approval to Manteca Unified’s Board of Trustees in June 2024. To read more about the LCAP and MUSD’s strategic planning process, visit page 14 of this document!

“Discussions related to the LCAP have evolved this year to extend beyond recognizing base versus supplemental funding,” Dr. Herrin shares. “We have deepened our understanding of equity and put that understanding into practice as we reviewed our data, internally and with educational partners, through the lens of unduplicated pupil need.  As we discuss the actions that will guide us and the metrics that will identify success, it is with the objective of increasing access and closing achievement gaps. Starting with the unduplicated pupil, we continue improving our efforts to ensure that all students have access to what they need.”

Manteca Unified’s Equity Board Policy

Manteca Unified commits to ensuring that all stakeholders uphold educational equity as an essential principle of our school system that is integrated into all policies, practices, operations, and processes in order to yield equitable educational access for all students.